


Nothin' A Little Soup Can't Fix

by 2hoots



Category: Coraline (2009)
Genre: Gen, something light and fluffy this christmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:47:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28314783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2hoots/pseuds/2hoots
Summary: "Hello?""Wyyyyyborn."Coraline's voice came crackling through the speaker."I've been waiting out here for, like, five minutes. What's the deal?"A pause."You sound like death."Wybie stifled a laugh before it could become a cough. "Very funny."--Wybie gets a cold.
Relationships: Coraline Jones & Wybie Lovat
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	Nothin' A Little Soup Can't Fix

**Author's Note:**

> a little something for a secret santa gift exchange we did on the Mystery Kids Return server!

_ Zzzzt. Zzzzt. Zzzzt. _

Wybie let his phone ring on the pillow next to him. Maybe, he mused, thoughts addled by the fog of sleep, whoever it was would just give up.

_ Zzzt. Zzzt. Z- _

Silence, for a moment. Then -

_ Zzzt. Zzzt. Zzzt. _

Ah, the old hang-up-and-immediately-call-back. There was only one person he knew who used that technique. Blearily, he opened his eyes, fumbled across the covers for his phone and brought it to his ear.

"Hello?"

" _ Wyyyyyborn. _ " Coraline's voice came crackling through the speaker. " _ I've been waiting out here for, like, five minutes. What's the deal? _ " A pause. " _ You sound like death. _ "

Wybie stifled a laugh before it could become a cough. "Very funny. I've just got a cold, is all. Gramma's got me staying in bed all day, so you'll have to go looking for Bigfoot tracks on your own."

" _ Nah, screw that. I don't wanna go poking around these woods without my favourite goon by my side. _ " A pause. " _ Hey, I can come over to yours instead! See you in a sec." _

"Coraline, you really don't need to-"

_Click_. She'd hung up. Wybie stared at his phone for a second, then let his head fall back on the pillow with a sigh.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

"Abandon hope, all ye who enter here," he intoned. There was a muffled snort.

"Quit being such a drama queen," Coraline said. She sidled into the room with a roll of her eyes, cradling a bowl between her hands. As the door clicked shut behind her, she held it out to Wybie, who accepted it with a look of suspicion.

"Aw, relax," she said, sliding her bag off her shoulder and tossing it at the foot of the bed. "It's your Gramma's chicken soup. She asked me to bring it up to you."

Wybie raised his eyebrows. "All right. Just making sure you weren't trying to poison me."

"Hey! My cooking's not that bad."

Wybie raised the bowl to his lips and took a sip. He couldn't taste much with his sinuses blocked, but the soup was hot and salty and comforting. He took a moment to enjoy the heat seeping through his fingers. When he looked up, Coraline was slowly pacing around his room, hands on her hips.

"Uhh, what are you doing?"

"What's it look like?" Coraline said, peering up at a shelf laden with books and sheafs of paper. "I'm poking around your room. Never got a good look in here before."

"Oh," Wybie said dryly. "I see how it is. Taking advantage of me when I'm at my most vulnerable to look through my stuff. You're a great friend."

"Yyyup." Coraline snickered as she reached up, pulling down a stack of papers and flipping through them. She made a noise of surprise, peeling one off the pile and turning around to hold it up. "Hey, did you draw all these? I didn't know you did art."

"No, they just materialised in my room." Wybie snorted. "Yeah, I drew those. They're more blueprints than art, though. That pile is all designs for my bike."

"They're good," Coraline said. "Really good!"

Wybie laughed. "Am I delirious with fever, or was that an actual compliment from Coraline Jones?"

Coraline shot him a grin. "I  _ can  _ be nice sometimes, y'know!"

She prowled around the room as Wybie drank down the rest of the soup. He went to put the bowl on the windowsill, and was met with a pair of staring blue eyes.

"Well, well, well," he said, "look who it is. You wanna come in?"

The cat blinked once, then reached up to paw at the window handle. Wybie chuckled. "Alright, alright. Here ya go." He opened the window, and the cat slunk in, accompanied by a gust of fresh air. It flicked its tail, then circled twice on Wybie's bed and settled down.

"Don't tell Gramma I let him on the bed," he said, and Coraline laughed.

"Oh, don't worry. I won't tell anyone the big bad kitty is really a pampered little puss."

The cat sent Coraline a death glare, but she just laughed again, reaching over to smooth across the fur on its head. She came to perch on the edge of the bed, and they sat in silence for a moment, listening to the cat's purring.

"I'm so jealous that your Gramma lets you have a TV in your room," Coraline said, jerking her head towards the TV on Wybie's desk. Wybie raised his eyebrows.

"What, that old thing?" He shook his head. "It's nothing to write home about. It broke a while back, so Gramma bought a new one to replace it, but she said I could have the old one if I fixed it up." He shrugged. "A little work with the soldering iron and it was good as new!" 

He gestured towards the stack of DVDs and old VHS tapes piled next to it. "Did you wanna watch a movie or something? You can pick, I've seen all of 'em a bunch of times."

"Sure." Coraline stood, stretching with a yawn, and went to go check out the pile. "Let's see,  _ Dusk of the Dead... Space Bloodsuckers from Beyond Mars... Tokimeki Ninja season 3? _ "

Wybie raised his hands defensively. "That's a great season."

"Oh, no way!" Coraline sprang up, spinning around and thrusting a DVD under Wybie's nose. " _ Warrior Highness Zeta _ ? I  _ love _ this flick!"

"Well then, what are you waiting for, Jonesey?"

Coraline fed the DVD into the player with a whirr, pumping her fists in excitement as the title screen of  _ Warrior Highness Zeta _ flickered to life on the old TV. Wybie shuffled to one side of the bed and she went to sit on the other side, scooping the cat up into her lap. With a hiss of static, the opening narration began: " _ In the year 2990, humanity has spread across the galaxy... _ "

Maybe it was that he'd seen the movie so many times already, or maybe he needed the rest more than he'd thought, but about halfway through Wybie felt his eyelids starting to droop. He made an effort to stay awake, nodding at Coraline's occasional interjections, but it was no use.

"I always loved this part," Coraline's voice came distantly. "Her speeder is so cool!"

"Sure," Wybie muttered. Maybe he could just rest his eyes for a few minutes...

There were whiskers tickling his face.

"Let him sleep, cat." Coraline's voice was uncharacteristically hushed. "It looks like he needs the rest."

"Nah, I'm awake," Wybie mumbled. He shooed the cat away, yawning widely, and blearily opened his eyes to see Coraline switching the TV off. She shot him a soft smile. Then her eyes strayed up to the window.

"Oh, hey," she said. "It's snowing."

Wybie shifted himself up on his elbows, peering out of the window himself. It was overcast outside, the clouds stained pale blue as the twilight approached. And sure enough, small white flakes of snow were drifting down and settling in powdery handfuls on the ground.

He sighed. "Sorry about the Bigfoot hunt."

"Nah." Coraline waved her hand dismissively. "The tracks would've disappeared in the snow anyway. 'Sides!" She tipped her head, flashing a grin. "All the more reason for you to rest up so you get better, right?"

Wybie raised an eyebrow. "That's if  _ you _ don't get sick, too."

"Hah! Your germs better not mess with  _ my _ immune system." Coraline palmed her fist. "They won't know what hit 'em."

She bent down to pick up her bag, pausing to scratch that cat behind the ears. "Anyway, I'd better get up to the Palace before it gets too dark. You know how my folks are like."

Wybie nodded. "Sure thing. And, uh, thanks for stopping by."

"Hey, what are friends for?"

She shut the door carefully behind her, the cat slipping out between her ankles. Wybie sighed again, snuggling deeper into his covers. He could hear Coraline making her way down the stairs, the old house creaking with every step. She stopped to have a conversation with someone - his Gramma, by the sound of the other voice - but he couldn't quite make out the words...

  
  


The next day, he was pulling on his snow boots, phone pressed into the crook of his neck. "C'mon, Jonesey, pick up..."

Finally, there was a  _ click _ on the other line. "There you are! You still up for going exploring today?"

There came the sound of someone blowing into a tissue -  _ loudly _ . Then Coraline's voice, little more than a rough croak: "Uh - so, _ about that _ ."

"Say no more." Wybie shouldered his pack. "I'll see if Gramma has any soup left."


End file.
